Steadier Footing
by hittingREFRESH
Summary: In the end, you are brought together with certain people for a reason. Everything has its purpose. Even if it doesn't always make sense.
1. Chapter 1

**OK, so this is my first fic EVER and its my first time writing a story in almost 5 years, so I'm going to say off the bat, please judge accordingly I may be a little rusty lol But I loveee the OC, and I'm gonna try to do my best to make this story believable yet relateable. I would really ****LOVE reviews, good or bad, to help me out/motivate me. The more feedback I get the more comfortable I'll feel in my writing. I have an idea about where I want to go with this story, but I'm open to suggestions/future plot ideas as it can go any way.** This will get _slightly_ AU, but I doubt anything too crazy. Especially because this takes place AFTER the season 4 finale, so as far as I'm concerned anything goes (within reason, of course.)

So far, everything that has taken place in season 4 has happened, with the exception of, Summer & Seth getting married and the assumption that Taylor and Ryan are/is getting married. AND don't worry, Marissa Cooper IS NOT coming back to life. So read, enjoy, review :)

***I do NOT own the OC or any of its characters.**

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter One**

State of being.

_- Verb. ( Used without an object) _

Wikipedia known as _to exist or live_.

_To take place or happen._

_To occupy a place or position._

_To continue or remain as before._

**To belong.**

And there was no other time Ryan Atwood felt like he _belonged _more,than when he was intertwined between the likes of Taylor Townsend.

The setting was a sun kissed afternoon that found the two lazily lying in bed next to another in a hazy dream like condition. Some have called it the "Twilight State", being half awake and half asleep all at once.

But this was too perfect to be a dream. Each with grins on their faces, he caressed her curly golden locks while in return her fingers massaged the nape of his neck... there were no need for words. Everything that needed to be said was felt in the moment. That was just the kind of relationship they had.

Sometimes when they talked, they often said too much, but the silence always found a way to make up for lost time. Taylor suddenly turned on her side and started gazing out the window. Ryan nudged her and she looked back at him. "What?" he asked inquiring.

Taylor said nothing, only scrunched her nose, obviously in thought. "Taylor…" Ryan almost whispered. Giving him an almost identical look, she turned on her side and continued to stare out the window.

Ryan just sat there for a moment observing her body language. Taylor was much like a fine wine, in given time, you'll find yourself warming up to her. In that time, Ryan had come to be able to read her like, a map. The kind of map you take with you in the back of your pocket and read again and again, tracing along all the parts you'd like to explore.

He crept up behind her and whispered in her ear, "What's wrong?" She slightly jumped at the unexpectance of his words. She turned slowly, "What makes you think anything is wrong?" she asked sincerely. Ryan laughed a little. "I _know _you. I can _feel _it. There's so much going on _here_." he said as he gently removed a hair from her forehead.

Taylor only stayed silent making Ryan work harder. Ryan smirked. "OK, Taylor Townsend on mute. I'm having a hard time deciding whether that's a good or bad thing." he joked as he stroked her arm. Again. Nothing. As if he hadn't just been trying to get the bottom of something, Ryan got up casually and walked to the other side of the bed and kissed Taylor on the cheek.

"OK, I'm going to take a shower now and-" "Wait!" Taylor said finally. She grabbed his arm and sat him down next to her. "She speaks." he says triumphantly. Taylor rolled her eyes. "You _always _do this to me." Ryan smiled softly. "I find it quite effective. Why throw in a new strategy when the old one works so well." Taylor looked at the window, it's curtain now blowing in the wind, and looks back at Ryan.

"Do you think… _this _was a good idea?" she manages to sputter out. Ryan looks at her quizzically. "Well, considering it was my idea. Well…yeah," he said plainly. Taylor gives up and sighs, annoyed that he's not taking the question as seriously as she'd wanted him to. Noticing Ryan moves closer to her. "OK, no more jokes, all seriousness now. But Taylor, are you thinking this _isn't _a good idea?" Taylor fidgeted slightly.

"It's just… things are going to change. Well, obviously they are going to change. And I know I decided I wanted this too - we all did.. It's just., how can we be sure it was the right thing to do? I mean it's home, but it's not _home_." Ryan looked into her eyes.

"Look, I know this was a risk. We were really established in Berkley. We had everything going for us. But we also felt like something was missing remember? We all did. What with the Cohen's and Julie and my dad moving to Malibu.. This was the best, and maybe quite possibly the worst thing we could do. But it was an adventure and a new start. We're also closer to our _family_. I know this isn't Newport.. But it's just too hard to go back to the place where I spent part of my years growing up, where the house I lived in got built over and everything about that place reminds me of the Earthquake and how I almost lost you…"

Ryan put his hand on her cheek. "It's not Newport, but it's still Orange County. As much as I don't like to admit it, it _feels _like _home _to me. Home of the good times, where I met you, where I met Seth… It doesn't feel right to be in Berkley anymore. Especially without the Cohen's. This is the closest thing we got. I know we made the right choice. But if your _scared, _Taylor I understand. Are you scared?"

Taylor turned to him and smiled. "Whenever I'm scared or something's wrong, you _always _know what to do. I have faith in you Ryan Atwood. I wouldn't have moved here with you if I didn't. But I am scared. Scared of what's to come, what's to change… But whatever is to come, good or bad, I can take the fall. _It is me, afterall. _But I need some strength_" _Taylor held out her hands and looked at him.

"And I will understand, _all I need is your hand_." she asked wholeheartedly. Ryan kissed her. "Sure, Why not? I have an extra I'm not using." he said as she laughed into his mouth. He took her hand in his and held tightly. And they sat there in the silence, all the words they didn't need to say filling the air around them, as the sweet, cool air of Huntington Beach blew through the window.

*******************

" So…where are we going tonight?" Summer Roberts asked as she was mulling through her suitcase full of shoes. One by one she would reach for a pair and hold it against her outfit of choice to see how it would coincide. Not liking what she saw she tossed the pair into a pile with about 100 others. Pausing for a second she looked around the room.

"Cohen?" she asked as she pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. As if on cue, a somewhat tall lanky figure with curly black hair stepped out of the connecting bathroom. "_Good_ _God woman._ What are you _doing_?" he asked eyes getting wide. Summer shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I'm _accessorizing_." she replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The tall boy with the skinny frame nodded as if he understood. "Oh, _duh_." he said sarcastically. "But since when did shoe's become an accessory? I mean I always thought.. Shoes. Necessecity. We need them to walk." He said scratching his chin, clearly confused.

Summer eyed her boyfriend, formally known as Seth Cohen, "Cohen" to her. He was wearing blue board shorts and a white and blue striped collared shirt with a pair of black flip flops. "Well… _you _would think that." she said looking him up and down while pointing at his outfit. He shrugged and moved his way onto the edge of the bed and picked up one of her shoes. Summer continued her quest of ripping her suitcase apart. "Who's Jimmy Choo?" he asked holding up the pair to her. Summer eyes widened this time, and stopped what she was doing.

"That question doesn't even felicitate an answer." she scoffed. Seth put down the shoes, quietly mocking her words as he did. Summer glared. "I saw that." she said putting her hands on her hips. Seth smiled awkwardly as if he had been caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

Summer found the shoes she was looking for, a pair of Betsey Johnson heels that "killed the crap out of her feet", but in her opinion they "looked pretty" so that was all that mattered. She started undressing and assembling her outfit on her body.

"You know Cohen, shoes are a _work of art_. They're not just something you put on your feet. Artists want their best work to be seen, you can't possibly expect me to just wear anything _do you_? The outside world is my gallery, you should understand this more than anyone. Therefore I must outshine everybody!" she said in a serious tone.

Seth got up and cupped her face in his hands. "Aww, you are _so _philosophical. Brown would be _proud_." he joked. Summer removed her face from his hands and started putting on her shoes.

"Summer…" Seth whined and as he followed her. He put his hands around her waist. "I was just being sarcastic." he said softly. Summer looked up at him. "No. You? Sarcastic?" she said staring at him. Seth smiled and pushed her dark hair behind her shoulders. "You know I love you, especially everything you've done over the last couple of years. But I'm kind of glad that Brown didn't change _everything _about the Summer Roberts we all know and love." Summer smiled and kissed him. "Well, don't worry, I still have a superficial heart of gold, I just care about Ozone layer now." Seth hugged her. "I love my little environmental Barbie." Seth said as he let her go.

Summer laughed and went over to her dresser. "So where are we going again?" she asked as she put on her earrings. "I guess we're going to this place off the beach… Hurricane Bar & Grill?" Seth answered. "Oh, so Ryan can get Taylor drunk and she can forget all about his first day of work tomorrow?" Summer teased. Seth laughed. "I don't think that was the idea, but I wouldn't put it past him." Summer grabbed her purse and sat next to Seth on the bed. "I wonder why Taylor is so nervous. I mean, this is exactly what she wanted for Ryan, shouldn't she be happy?" Seth sighed. "I don't think the job is really what she's nervous about."

They both got up to leave out the door. "What do you mean?" Summer asked linking her arms with his. "I just think she's worried now that Ryan has his first real job and his first big promotion that their relationship has to take the backseat. More so with her going back to school and her new job. It's not like our jobs. We could work out of bed in our underwear if we wanted to." he said leading her through the hallway. "When did we reach that age where our jobs dictated our life? We're only 23. We're not our parents." Summer said sadly.

Seth took her into his arms. "No one said that this growing up thing would be a bundle of sunshine. That's the one thing our parents never tried to hide from us. It really _does _suck." he said as she laughed.

"What's so funny?" Taylor asked as Ryan followed behind her from the kitchen. "The black hole, that is our life now." Seth answered plainly. Ryan and Taylor looked at each other confused. Summer shook her head. "Just ignore him. Who wants Tequila?!" she asked leading them towards the door. Ryan and Taylor followed them out to the car. "OK, but none for Seth." he answered as he turned on the ignition.

*******************

"This was a good idea." Summer said as she grabbed some peanuts from the bowl in the center of their table. "_Such _a good idea!" Seth exclaimed as he rocked back and forth in his seat excitedly. Taylor tried to hold back a chuckle. Summer just looked at her counter part annoyed.

"I thought we cut him off?" Ryan asked half amused, half puzzled. "He only had two shots." Summer replied trying to get Seth to sit still. "I call designated driver." Taylor said raising her hand and laughing. "Oh no, you had two beers and if I remember correctly a rum and coke, three tequila shots, and I lost count of all the Smirnoff." Ryan said laughing along with her.

Taylor smiled and hit his nose with tip of her finger. "Lightweight." she teased. Ryan pretended to be offended. "Oh, now I'm a lightweight because I know how to control my liquor? Oh please, Townsend, I can throw it down with the best of them. I'm just deciding to be responsible, you know, that thing you _used _to be." he joked smiling at her.

Taylor shook her head. "Your not 'choosing to be responsible'. You couldn't even get through one beer." she said slightly sliding off her chair. Ryan grabbed her before she fell. "No, I just have work tomorrow and want to start off on the right foot." he said laughing as he propped her up. "Shoes are a work of art!" Seth yelled almost stuttering.

Ryan and Taylor looked at Summer who was trying to get Seth to eat something. Summer just motioned them to ignore him. "Cohen, shut up!" she said forcing a spoon down his throat. "You of all people should understand this Summer." he said before he took a mouthful of spoon. Taylor laughed at the sight, it somehow greatly amused her. She turned and made a goofy smile at Ryan. Ryan laughed and smiled back at her taking her hand. They stayed that way for a bit, smiling at each other in return. Another one of those moments that needed no words, even in a drunken stupor.

Seth caught this, looking at them. "You guys are cute. You two should date." he said swatting Summer's hand away from his mouth. This made the two laugh for the thousandth time that night. "On that note, I think its time we head home." Ryan said as he threw his napkin on his plate. "Oh no, no Ryan. We were having so much fun." Taylor said pulling on his shirt.

"Taylor I have to wake up early for work tomorrow." he said moving her hands. "So then..quit! That way you can stay up as late as you want!" Taylor said nodding her head. Ryan chuckled. "Tempting, but I think I'll keep it for now." Summer pushed her and Seth's halfway eaten plate of food to the center of the table. "Great, I'll get the check. And, I'll drive, considering I'm the only one at this table that doesn't reek of booze." she said getting up and taking Seth with her.

*******************

"So did you have a good time tonight?" Summer asked Taylor back at the house they shared in Surfside, a little community right outside of Huntington. It was about midnight and they were sitting down on the floor of their living room next to a burning fire. Taylor took a bite of her ice cream.

"I think? Atleast from what I can remember." she said shrugging. Summer nodded taking a bite of her own. "Where's Seth?" Taylor asked curious. Summer made a face. "Upstairs passed out in bed. You'd think he drank the whole bar. I can take him anywhere anymore." Taylor giggled. "So, are you excited for your classes tomorrow?" Summer asked looking at her.

"I'm not sure." she explained. "I mean, ever since I got back from Paris, I realized I wanted to go to cooking school. But then I moved to Berkley with Ryan and we got back together and I pretty much focused on our relationship for the those two years. But now that I'm here and its actually happening, I'm not sure how to feel." she said mashing her spoon around in the now melting liquid.

"I get that, but aren't you happy that you get to do what _you _want to do. I've seen you stand by Ryan as he gets his career off the ground. Now it's your turn. Are you even a little bit excited?" Summer asked glancing at her sideways. "Well, I'm definitely nervous. But more so about if I can handle it with settling in and working at that new restaurant and of course Ryan." Taylor put another log into the fire.

"Oh yeah, that French place… Ave Amour or Avet Lamour?" Summer said confused. Taylor laughed. "Avec L'amour." Summer smiled. "Yeah, that place. What does that even mean?" she asked twirling her spoon around. "It's French for _'with love'_. It's supposed to be this romantic hot spot for couples. Atleast according to the paper. Its mainly known for their deserts. Which is good for me. But I doubt they'll really have me making any of their finer dishes. I haven't gotten my baking degree so I'll have to wait a bit. But now that I think about it, it gives me something to focus on while Ryan's away during the day." she said her voice fading.

Summer put a hand on her shoulder. "Well, there's always me and Seth. Plus Ryan won't _always _be gone. Things will be fine." She said hugging her. "I know, its just… different." she said eating the last of her ice cream. They both got up and threw their ice cream cartons away in the kitchen.

"Well, Summer I think I'm going to call it a night. I want to wake up early enough to see Ryan off. But thanks for everything tonight." Summer nodded. "Don't worry, we'll get through this. I'm going to go check on Cohen. Gotta make sure trails of vomit didn't make their way onto any of my shoes." she said making a disgusted face. Taylor rolled her eyes. "Goodnight Summer" she said and headed upstairs.


	2. Chapter 2

OK, to those who read this/are reading this, first of all Sorry for the longgg delay. Life got in the way of my writing with work and traveling every other weekend, I only had so much time to sit with my laptop and write. Which is why this chapter isn't exactly anything 'Thrilling' I was a little off my game, but I figured I might as well give you what I have to help move the story a long a little quicker. It's mainly just filler, but hopefully you'll enjoy and a few of you might even find it cute. I'm going to be writing the bulk of chapters on the weekends, when I have the free time. I know this is pretty short, apologies for that also.

_***Note that for this fic, I included everything that happened in Season 4. With a few exceptions. Summer and Seth never got married, Ryan isn't taking a kid in, nor is he married to Taylor as some might assume. It's been 6/7 years since highschool. Ryan, Summer, Seth, and Taylor are around 23 now. And the rest will be explained throughout the story.**_

_Reviews are WELCOME, and are helpful, this is my first fic and my first time writing a story in about 5 years. Let me know your thoughts/ideas =]_

_**************_

_**Chapter Two**_

"_Goooooooood __Morning!_" came a high voice from the kitchen. Seth Cohen immediately covered his ears. "Oh, sweet Moses. Taylor can we tone down the shrieking of excitement, I think my ears are starting to bleed." he said coming into the room cautiously. "I'm sorry!" Taylor replied in the same tone. Seth made a sour face at the noise.

"I mean, I'm sorry." she said again, whispering this time. "Still hung over?" Taylor asked a little more quietly. Seth took a seat on a stool. "Yes, its been _so _long since I've consumed alcohol I forgot how much my head wants to explode the next morning." he said setting his head down on the built in bar.

Taylor turned away from the stove to look at him. "Even after only two shots?" she asked quizzically. "That's two shots too many for Seth Cohen. Tequila is _not _my friend. It reminds me way too much of Tijuana and makes me feel extremely Jewish afterwards." he said head still on the table.

Taylor scrunched up her nose confused, but decided not to ask about the connection between the two. Taylor continued her cooking of pancakes, eggs, and bacon and placed a little bit of each on a plate and set it down in front of Seth. Suddenly aware of the smell of food, Seth sniffed the air and raised his head in a sudden motion. "Oh, too fast, way, way, way, too fast." he said as he rubbed his throbbing temple.

Taylor laughed, setting a glass of orange juice next to his plate. "Good morning." Summer said smiling as she entered the kitchen. Seth wanted to acknowledge her with a nod of the head, but his senses didn't respond fast enough so he just ended up giving her a half hearted wave. Summer made a sympathetic face and sat down on the stool next to him.

"Oh, Cohen, we tried to stop you, but you insisted that you could handle it this time." she said rubbing his back. "And you listened?" he asked disappointed. Summer made an innocent face as Taylor sat an identical plate in front of Summer. "Oh, hey look food." she said changing the subject. Summer took a bite of her eggs and stole a sip from Seth's glass.

"So Taylor, when's Ryan supposed to be heading off for work?" Summer asked putting down the glass. "Any minute now." She replied, prepararing another plate. "Which makes me wonder, why he's not down here yet." she continued putting down her spatula. "I'm right here." Ryan whispered coming up behind her and wrapping his hands around her waist.

Taylor turned around to face him with a smile and kissed him passionately. Very passionately. "OK guys, a little too early for 7 a.m. don't you think? Or.. ever." Summer muttered turning her eyes over to the opposite side of the room. Seth looked up suddenly turned off by the sight. "Ew." he said going back to his plate.

Ryan and Taylor stopped, getting the hint. "I think you guys spend too much time together." Ryan said referring to his "Ew" remark. " Yeah well, atleast we keep it in the bedroom." he said snorting. Summer dropped her fork and hit him on the head sending him squealing in pain. "_Owww_wwww!" he yelled holding his head in his hands. "Maybe not anymore." Taylor said handing Ryan his plate.

"Oh no, Taylor I can't eat, I'm gonna be late." Ryan said setting his plate down. Taylor's face fell. "But you can't start your first day without any food in your stomach. Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day." she said straightening his tie and smoothing down his suit. "OK _mom_, I know, but it's also very bad to be late on your first day." Ryan said pleading with her.

Taylor sighed. "OK…" she said taking back the plate and setting it back on the table. Ryan grabbed her chin gently. " I will be back home at six to eat dinner." he said softly. Taylor raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that theres going to be a conviently home made meal waiting for you when you come back?" she teased as she pulled on his tie.

"Yeah Ryan, who do you think we are Susie home maker? _I'm_ sure as hell not providing the home cooked meal." Summer suddenly chimed in. Ryan looked at her pointedly, then glanced at Seth for help. "Don't look at me dude, I can barely grill. I'm with the Taylor, who do you think she _is_?" he asked siding with the girls. "Uh.. a cook?" Ryan said nonchalantly.

Seth put up his hand to object, but couldn't come up with anything clever. "That's true. How _convenient _for you." Seth said sharply. "Ryan Atwood, you are ever so lucky that you are going to be late for work to get out of this one. But yes, you better be home in time for dinner… at the diner." Taylor said straightening up his tie one last time.

Ryan grabbed his briefcase and kissed Taylor on the cheek. "Fine, you can spoil me another night with your cooking ." he said pulling out his keys. "We'll see about that." Summer muttered as he left through the door.

Taylor took Ryan's plate and took a seat next to Summer. They sat there in silence for a while just staring out their plates. "So.. what now?" Taylor asked stuffing a piece of bacon in her mouth.

*****************

"Do you think it was ok to let Taylor use the car?" Summer asked looking up from her laptop and onto Seth. "Yeah, I mean she has the day free, we're working… she's just shopping, it will be good for her to get some stuff to fix this place up and give it some life, how much damage could she possibly do?" Seth asked rhetorically as he sketched away on his notepad.

Summer stopped typing. "That's never a safe question when your talking about Taylor." Seth pursed his lips together. "Yeah, that's actually.. we should be worried." he said never taking his eyes off his notepad. Summer nodded, agreeing. It was about 10:30 in the morning and the two were still in their pajamas underneath the covers of their ridiculously oversized bed.

Seth was feverishly attacking his notebook with his pencil working away on his latest comic idea and Summer was typing away on her laptop writing another article for her magazine _R Environmental Monthly_, while Death Cab For Cutie echoed through her laptop's speakers. As they worked Summer found herself humming along to _Expo 86_, Seth smiled taking notice.

"Hey, Death Cab." he said putting down his pencil. Summer removed her fingertips from the keyboard, looked up at him and gave him an accepting grin. "Yeah." she replied innocently and resumed typing.

Seth picked up his pencil and chuckled. "Remember when you used to _hate _them. You said you were tired of whiny emo boys in skinny jeans and you could barely handle one let alone ones with instruments." he said remembering. "Yeah well, I got used to you didn't I?" she said sticking out her tongue.

Seth put his hand on his heart mockingly as if he had been wounded. "First of all, I'm not whiny. Second of all, I hardly think Ben Gibbard is skinny jean material. Third of all, you _like _them. Admit it." Summer rolled her eyes. " I figured, you already made a lot of dramatic over exaggerated noise, so why not listen to someone who can at least harmonize it. Which one is Ben Gibbard?" Summer asked quizzically. Seth looked at her, mouth open, agape in shock.

"Kidding." Summer said giving him a teasing look. Seth shook his head. "My how things have changed." Summer put her laptop down and turned towards him. "Things really have changed haven't they?" Summer stated in a serious manner. Seth turned to face her. "What do you mean?" "I just mean, we've come so far from where were in high school."

Seth put his hand over hers. "Well, yeah that was like six years ago." he said lightheartedly. Summer sighed. "You _know _what I mean. With everything that happened. Me going off to George. Us being apart for _three years_. Taylor and Ryan breaking up when she left for Paris. Then all of a sudden college is over, and me and Taylor are moving in with you and Ryan in the Berkeley House. Sophie can _talk_. Then the Cohen's jumping ship with Julie and Co. to Malibu because she wanted to be closer to Kaitlyn now that she's at Pepperdine.. I'm not sure what amazes me more, the fact that we were apart for three years or that _Julie-Cooper-Nichol-Cooper-Roberts_-_Atwood_ hasn't added on another last name since Jacob's been born." Summer finished as she took a breath.

"OK, Julie didn't technically marry your father, or Ryan's for that matter. But I get your point, her and Frank have been pretty steady for awhile. Its kind of nice to see her making it work for a change, less entertaining, but nice." he replied genuinely. Summer smiled and moved closer to him and took his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. "It's also nice to see us making it work." she said sincerely.

"Yeah, we've made a good life for ourselves. You with Roberts Enviromental, rallying all those kids to get involved in Environmental causes, getting backing from the high schools and support from the University. All in the comfort of your own bed. I'm proud of you Roberts." he said scruffing up her hair. Summer shook her hair back in place.

"And you, with the whole Comic book thing. I know I wasn't on board with it at first, but who knew that their were so many closeted comic book geeks in the world. Some of them are even good looking too. Atomic County was such a hit, people really love it and you really love it… so I really love it. And look at you now, you get paid to draw murals and paintings for, like, the city, and big corporations to put in their big fancy corporate offices, and even Celebrities -" "Spencer Pratt is only a celebrity _in his mind_. Plus that guy's a tool, or pretending to be one, which is even _more pathetic_. Heidi could do so much better." Seth interjected before she could finish.

Summer ignored his interjection and continued, "Yeah, well, he gave you a shout out for the mural you made for his living room on _Ellen_. You can't tell me that's not _big_." Seth just shrugged. "Yeah I guess, that's kinda cool. I mean who doesn't love Ellen Degeneres? She's a converse wearing lesbian who dances to Justin Timberlake on daytime television. What's not to love?" Seth said unphased.

Summer placed her hand gently on his left shoulder. "All true, but what I really meant was that it's great, us making it work as a couple together." she said softly. Seth looked into her eyes and could see all the love she had for him. No matter how much she complained about his incessant whining, or him not being able to cook a 5 course meal, or no matter how many _rage blackouts _that have scared him to death - deep inside, she would always care for him. He _knew _it.

Before he could respond, the song changed to _Weezer_'s _Buddy Holly_. Seth groaned. "Buddy Holly? Death Cab? Summer, have you been tampering with my itunes collection?" Seth asked accusingly. "Hey we live together, we share the same space, we breathe the same air -" "And I'm guessing now, we share the same music collection?" he said finishing for her.

"Somewhat yes. Why? Does that bother you? You worried that I'm going to become an even bigger band geek than you?" she asked turning up the volume. Seth rolled his eyes. "Woman, please. You don't even know anything about these bands -" Summer made a face. "I do so. I know that Rivers Cuomo was the one who wrote Buddy Holly, and that the music video used special effects to make it look like it was shot during an episode of Happy Days. Which by the way looked totally authentic. Three of their albums are named by color, like the Beatles with the white album -"

" _Whoa, _Rivers Cuomo? My God, Summer, where does all this knowledge come from?" Seth asked genuinely puzzled. Summer hit him in response. "Hey, I know stuff." she said turning back to the computer screen then suddenly looking back at him. "That and youtube." she admitted sheepishly.

They both continued on working. "Well, as long as you keep your selections to a minimum. I doubt very many people who own Minolos can say they've heard of Chris Walla. Besides, you have your things, I have mine. The minute I find you in a polo shirt, kicking back with a comic, taking in some Bendis, swaying away with Bright Eyes playing in the background… I'm requesting for back up." Seth said shivering at the thought.

Summer made a disgusted face. "Don't worry, I'll keep my appreciation for all things Cohen at a minimum. Besides even if that was the case and ew it's so not, theres nothing you can do about it, your stuck with me. I'm not going anywhere for a _long _time." she said kissing him on the cheek and returning back to her laptop.

Seth looked at her with mixed emotion. He shook his head and made a half hearted smile. "No, I guess your not." he murmured quietly under his breath.


	3. Chapter 3

So I stayed home from work today and I read the nice reviews I received on the last chapter and I just _had _to write. Thanks so much for everything you guys have said, it's motivating me like you have no idea. Especially because so far I have to admit I wasn't really happy with how the story was going. Its not exactly my _best _writing but it means a lot that others enjoy it. This chapter however I feel good about, so hopefully you guys will too.

And any imput/ideas you guys have feel free to let me know. I always cringe when I see a new review cos I feel like I'm going to read "THIS STORY SUCKS!" but so far so I haven't LOL but don't be afraid to give me some contructive criticism. I can take it I promise. And I'll TRY to put another Chapter up in the next 2 days but we'll see. OK enjoy ;]

***I don't own any of THE OC, just love it. **

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 3**

" So…what do you think?" Taylor asked anxiously. Summer glanced around the house. "Oh, My God, Taylor. _How did you do all this in 6 hours_?!" she asked in disbelief.

Taylor grinned. "I've had a lot of practice, my roommate I lived with in Paris was 'destined' to be an interior designer, atleast according to her. It seemed like everyday we were re-doing my room. It was really annoying. There was _so much _leopard print… though it turns out she's some sort of psychologist now. Ironic huh? Cos, I always thought she needed a psychologist.. Anyways, you never said you liked it. Do you like it? Oh. Please tell me you like it?" Taylor asked now becoming paranoid.

Summer laughed. "Of course I like it Taylor, it makes this place feel more homey." The two girls were in the middle of the main room observing all the work Taylor had done. There were plant holders filled with various leafy green plants, various flowers and candles were assembled around the room. New furniture was assembled in their respective places, such as a new coffee table, couch, and chairs for the kitchen table.

Summer's eyes landed on the new coffee table. "You bought coasters? You actually think the boys are going to use those?" Summer asked pointedly. Taylor shrugged. "Well it couldn't hurt, plus they were 50% off. And look, they're historical. Would you like to use Thomas Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln?" she asked holding them up.

Summer passed. "No thanks. Taylor this is amazing but don't you think it's a little _girly_?" "I thought of that, so I did this over here." Taylor led Summer to a few room's past Summer and Seth's bedroom. "Oh, my God." was all Summer managed to say when she saw the room.

It was filled with all things Seth on one side of the room. Posters of some of his favorite bands, Yakuza films, and one of the mock up posters Seth drew for promotion of Atomic County. On the other side, it was more Ryan friendly, with Rocky posters, Journey albums, and vintage little toy cars like the ones him and Trey used to play with. But the main attraction that brought the two together was, of course, the PlayStation. "Do you think it's ok?" Taylor asked paranoid again.

"Taylor this is _so much more than ok_. Ryan and Seth are going to love this. How did you get all this stuff?" Summer asked in disbelief. "I know a guy." she replied simply. "I think this will be good for them, they can be guys and do guy… things. Whatever that is." Summer said as her and Taylor exited the room.

"Yeah, I figured every house needs their own Man Cave." Taylor replied closing the door. "You know they're never going to come out of there." Summer said giving her a knowing look. "Yeah well, the new leopard print panties and matching bra courtesy of Victoria Secrets will take care of that. As much as she drove me insane. I did learn a thing or two from my roommate." she said smirking.

Summer smiled. " Wow, I'd love to meet the woman that could drive _Taylor Townsend_ insane." she said jokingly. The two girls made their way to the kitchen. "Hey what time is it?" Taylor asked taking two Arizona Ice Teas out of the extremely bare refrigerator. Summer glanced down at her watch. "Its 5:30." Taylor's face fell.

"What's with the face?" Summer asked confused. "It's just its getting closer to six and Ryan hasn't called me yet to tell me he's on his way home." she said checking the time again. "Maybe he's stuck in traffic." Summer said trying to reassure her.

"Maybe." she replied back. But didn't believe it. Suddenly they heard the front door slam. Both Summer and Taylor got up to see who it was. "Women, never fear. I come bearing groceries." Seth said holding up several grocery bags. Summer rolled her eyes. "Oh it's just you." she said as he kissed her on the cheek.

They all sauntered over to the kitchen and started unloading the bags. "Wait, Ryan's not here yet?" Seth asked Taylor curious. Taylor put a carton of milk into the refrigerator. "Nope, hasn't called yet either." "Well maybe he's stuck in traffic?" Seth said trying to be helpful.

Taylor just glared. "How about less talking and more unloading." Summer said shoving a box of cereal in his hands. Seth obediently walked over to the cupboard and put the box away. The finally put all the groceries away when Seth noticed the kitchen table. "OK, this may be a hallucination. But do I see chairs in front of me?" Seth asked looking back at the girls.

Taylor perked up. "Yes, Seth those are chairs. And oh yeah come look." Taylor said excitedly as Summer grabbed Seth's arm and followed in Taylor's direction. She lead them back to Ryan and Seth's room. Seth walked in, surprised as he laid his eyes on everything inside. "Whoa, it's like the bat cave in here." he said wandering around.

"Yeah, Taylor made you your own 'Man Cave'." Summer said picking up one of the toy cars. "I can't believe you did all this Taylor. This is awesome. Wait till Ryan sees this. He might actually smile." Seth said taking the toy car from Summer. Summer looked at her watch again. 5:50. Taylor caught her. "He's not here." she said walking out of the room. She went to the kitchen and looked at her cell phone.

Seth and Summer followed shortly. "No messages either." she said showing her cell phone. Seth and Summer looked at each other, not sure what to do. Taylor grabbed her purse and threw the cell phone inside. Seth and Summer just watched her silently.

"I feel like peanuts. You guys want peanuts?" she asked them both as she put on her jacket. "What?" Summer asked puzzled. "I say we forget the Diner and just go back to the bar. I could use some liquor." she said grabbing Seth and Summer's jackets from the Coat rack and heading into the living room.

"Taylor what about Ryan?" Summer asked following close behind. "Yeah, and I think it's a good idea if we stay away from alcohol. Forever." Seth chimed in. Taylor threw both their jackets to them. "Forget Ryan. Besides, I promise… only one beer." Summer looked at Seth for help, for anything to stop her. "Cohen, do something." she whispered sharply.

Seth thought for a moment. "No, I think Taylor's right. Ryan's just going to have to join us another time. C'mon, lets blow this popsicle stand." he said as he grabbed the keys. Taylor grabbed Summer's hand, and Summer accepted reluctantly and followed Seth to the car.

***************************************************

Summer, Seth, and Taylor all sat around the same table they were at the night before, huddled around a couple of menu's. The bar wasn't as busy as it was when they first were there, but it was getting close to a packed house as the night wore on.

As they were deciding what their dinner would be, a petite waitress with jet black hair, a tight fitting tank top and black form fitting shorts reached their table. " You guys decide what you want yet?" she asked cheerfully. "Not quite, give us a minute?" Taylor said still eyeing her menu. "Sure, no problem." she said, noticing Seth she flashed him a bright smile. Seth reciprocated, feeling the same attraction.

Summer looked at her then back at him noticing their little exchange. The waitress walked away back to the bar area. Summer made a disgusted face. "What a _whore_." she said flipping a page to her menu. "What?" Seth asked confused. " Did you see the way she's dressed? Eww. Were there too many sluts already hired at _Hooters_ that she had to settle for this place?" she asked disgusted. "Summer, she's wearing the _exact_ same thing as all the other waitresses." Taylor pointed out.

"Yeah, but look how much _tighter _she's wearing it. I'm surprised her ass cheeks can breathe." "I personally think that women should have the choice to dress however they want without passing any judgment. People always assume things about a woman based on their clothing choices or lack thereof. I say, embrace the beauty of the booty shorts." Seth said taking a sip of his water.

Summer put down her menu. "Eww. _Double whore_." she said hitting him. "What? Remember the no judgment thing. For all we know she could be really good at Calculus." he said rubbing his now sore arm. "For someone who once dressed up as _Wonder Woman,_ you're being extremely prude." he muttered under his breathe. Taylor almost choked on her drink. "What?" she asked looking at Summer, intrigued.

"Summer Roberts, is there a side to you I don't know about?" Taylor asked arching an eyebrow. Summer blushed and put her arm up. "Hey waitress lady, I think were ready to order now." she said pointing at her to flag her down. The petite brunette was in the middle of serving an older man seated at the bar. Another waitress about the same frame as her, only with light brown hair turned around and looked to where Summer was flailing her arms.

Seth turned in her direction. The other waitress had somewhat highlighted hair that went past her shoulders, brown eyes that seemed extremely tired as they were aligned with bags, and like the waitress with the jet black hair, she was short and petite. Seth scratched his head. _Why did she seem so familiar? _he thought to himself. Before he could try to figure it out, she quickly turned around and tapped the waitress on the shoulder.

"Hey, Brett. Your table's ready." she said quickly. Brett nodded and made her way to Summer's table, the other waitress disappearing back behind the bar. "What can I get you guys?" Brett asked looking at Seth, specifically.

Summer turned to Seth putting a hand behind her head. "Yeah Seth, what can she get you?" Summer asked her face tightening up. Brett failed to notice Summer's tone as she retrieved a notepad from her pocket and pulled out a pen from behind her ear.

"I'll have -" Seth started, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat, flustered. "Umm, I'll just have a salad with a side of onion rings." he managed to get out. Summer laughed. "A salad, Cohen? " she said rolling her eyes. Summer turned to face the waitress. "No wonder he's so skinny," she said pointing her thumb at him.

"_I'll have a steak_. With a baked potato on the side." She said to Brett, giving Seth a smirk. Brett gave Seth a sympathetic look. "Its OK, I'm a vegetarian, salads are a way of life for me. Don't even put me near a grill, I might burn the house down." she said slightly giggling.

Summer's mouth fell open in disbelief. Seth laughed along with her. Summer sent him a warning look, Seth just smiled. "Ironically, I'm not too shabby with a grill. Plus, theres plenty of things you could grill besides _meat_." he said stealing a look at Summer. "You can grill tomatoes, onion, peppers… before you know it, you have your very own vegetable kabob." he said handing her his menu.

She accepted the menu and smiled as a Thank You. "Hmm. Sounds like a vegetarian's dream." she said laughing. Summer handed her menu over to her, with a bored look on her face. The waitress turned to Taylor.

"What about you?" Taylor looked at Seth and Summer afraid to order. "Umm, I'll just have soup. With no meat… or vegetables." she said giving her the menu. The waitress smiled awkwardly. "Ok, then, your orders will be up in a minute." Brett said walking away. Summer turned to look at Seth.

"_Theres plenty of things you could grill besides meat." _Summer said mocking him. "What the hell, Cohen?" she asked attempting to hit him in the same spot on his arm as before. This time Seth dodged her blow. "What? I watch the Food Network." he said innocently. "No, _you were flirting. _And right in front of me!" Summer said adamantly.

"Flirting? Summer, no. I was just making conversation." he said taking her hands. Summer released his grip. "_Please_. She was looking at you like you were a piece of broccoli." Seth sighed. "Summer I think you're overreacting."

"_Overreacting_? I am _not _overreacting." she said slamming her hand down on her napkin causing her fork to fly onto Taylor's lap. Taylor cringed hoping the force of the fork wouldn't stab her eye out. Seth looked at Taylor to see if she was ok. Taylor had her eyes closed, she peeked one eye open and then looked down to see the fork in her lap, her body unharmed.

Taylor retrieved the fork and gave them a thumbs up sign and smiled to let them know there were no injuries. Seth turned back to look at Summer. "Really? Forks flying in the air aren't signs of overreacting?" he asked frowning. Taylor gave Summer her fork back. "Cohen…" Summer said a little hurt and embarrassed.

"Summer, you have nothing to worry about. Remember the whole not judging thing?" Summer rolled her eyes. "I know. She's a vegetarian who's good at calculus." Seth nodded his head. "See, who would've ever guessed that?" he asked opening his palm to her. Summer took his hand, feeling a little more relieved.

"See, no need for soaring utensils. I love you." Seth said moving a piece of her out of her eyes. Summer smiled. "I love you, Cohen." They both kissed, as their food was brought to them. "Here's your steak with a baked potato on the side, a salad with side onion rings, and your soup, hold the meat and the vegetables. " Brett repeated back as she slid each dish on the table. She glanced at the now canoodling Summer and Seth.

"Can I get you guys anything else?" she asked looking around the table. "No, I think we're good, Brett." Summer said smiling genuinely. "Ok then." she said putting her notepad back in her pocket, and pen behind her ear. She was turning to leave when she looked at Seth and Summer again. "You know, you guys are cute." she said smiling and finally turning away.

Taylor looked at Seth and Summer. "How about that." she said taking a sip of her drink. Summer gave an apologetic grin to Seth. Summer cleared her throat and took a bite of her food. "Ok, lets talk about something else. Taylor, are you excited about your first cooking class tonight?" Summer asked glancing up at her.

Taylor took a sip of her soup. "Yeah I guess, I actually am. _Not _excited about the drive to Pasadena though." she said scrunching up her nose. "When you get your baking degree, I expect a fresh batch of cookies to be waiting for me everyday come lunch time." Seth said popping an onion ring into his mouth. Taylor gave him a look that clearly said "_Are you crazy?" _"OK, brownies then." he said digging into the rest of his salad. Summer and Taylor ignored him.

"Well, atleast in six months it will be over and you won't have to deal with the commute any longer." Summer said optimistically. "Yeah, but I still have work at the restaurant." Taylor replied not as optimistically. "Oh yeah, when do you start that?" Summer asked mashing her potato around.

"Next week, the girl I'm replacing has two weeks left, and this is her last week. I start on Monday." Taylor glanced at the clock behind her. "I should probably get going. It's almost eight and I need to be at my class by nine." she said gathering up her purse.

"Ok. Cohen, get the check." Summer said putting on her coat. Seth rolled his eyes in mid chew. "Of course, because Seth Cohen is made of money." he muttered getting up and taking out his wallet.

*********************************************

It was about 9:30 and Seth was sitting on the couch with the TV on. Summer was tired and had already found her way to the bed. Seth heard a door open and he looked to the right to see Ryan walking through. He looked exhausted and ready to pass out. "Long day, honey?" Seth asked referring to his transparent exhaustion.

Ryan took a seat on the arm of the chair. "You have _no idea_. We were in a meeting that started at 5:30 and didn't end till close to 7. Then my boss asked me if I wanted to go out for drinks with the rest of the guys and _absolutely _would not take no for an answer. And now I'm here." he said rubbing his eyes.

"Hmm, well that sounds ridiculously boring. Dinner - which you missed - however was not. Me and Taylor narrowly escaped a rage blackout involving flying forks. It was quite the evening." Seth said his eyes returning back to the TV. "Oh God, dinner."

Seth looked at him. "Please don't tell me you forgot?" Seth asked disappointed. "No, it's just I meant to call about the meeting running late but I couldn't during the meeting. Afterwards for drinks, I realized I left my phone in the car and I really should go find Taylor." he said getting up.

"Taylor's in class right now." Ryan sat back down. "Right, that was tonight." Seth grabbed the remote. "Guess you forgot that one." Ryan made a frown. "Yeah. Damnit." "Well, Taylor should be back pretty late and you probably have to go bed around now, so just make sure in the morning you tell her. I'm sure she'll understand. It happens." Seth said understandingly. "Yeah." he said still feeling bad. His eyes made way to the coffee table.

"Is that Thomas Jefferson?" he asked looking at the coaster. "Yeah, Taylor pulled an _Extreme Makeover: Home Edition_ and started fixing up the place." Seth said looking around. Ryan started to notice the changes throughout the room. "Taylor did _all this_?" Ryan asked, surprised.

"Yeah, in about six hours too. Does your girl ever get tired?" Seth asked in disbelief. A big smile formed on Ryan's face. "No." he replied with an even bigger grin. Seth could tell he was reminiscing with dirty imagery. "Dude. Gross." he said getting up and going into the kitchen.

Ryan put down his suitcase and followed him. "Now I feel really bad, that she did all this work and I missed dinner, and now I have to leave for work again in the morning." he said facing Seth on the opposite side of the counter. "Just make it up to her this weekend. Like a romantic dinner type of deal. Besides you _owe her big_." Seth said grabbing an apple from a glass bowl.

"Why?" Ryan asked puzzled. "Follow me and allow me to introduce you to our_ Man Cave._" Seth said walking out of the kitchen. "Our _what_?" Ryan asked, following after Seth.

********************************************

Seth looked at his alarm clock. **6 AM**. He had been awake for about an hour now. He looked over at Summer, sleep as a baby. He rolled off the bed and started to put his pants on. He was about to grab his keys when Summer turned over to his side, now awaken from the rustling noises.

"Hey." she said softly rubbing her eyes. "What time is it?" she asked looking for the alarm clock. "It's about 6." he said putting on his jacket. "Where you going?" she asked sitting up now. "I'm gonna go back to the bar, I realized I left my wallet." he said looking for his shoes.

"Oh. You sure you're just not going back to hook up with that bar skank?" Summer asked giving him a knowing look. Seth shook his head. "No, of course not." he said coming on to the bed. He smiled and kissed her cheek. "I should be back before seven." he reassured her.

Summer nodded. "Ok." she said kissing him on the lips and turning back over to her side, resuming sleep. Seth grabbed his keys and quietly slipped out the door.

He finally arrived at the bar wondering if it was even open as the parking lot looked deserted minus a few cars. He decided to knock on the door anyways. A second or two after the knock a cleaning lady opened the door and looked at him questionably.

"Hi, I'm Seth Cohen, just wondering if I could talk to the manager if he's in?" The cleaning lady nodded and let him in. He walked in and the place was empty. There was only the cleaning staff who was getting ready for when the bar opened up again later and a few of the waitresses.

Seth walked up to the bar, a big guy with brown messy hair tied into a bun was behind it. He was wearing a tank top and black plants, with a small towel over his shoulder, obviously he had been cleaning. "Hi, I was wondering if I could speak to the manager?" he asked hopeful.

"Yeah, I'm Manny, that's me, what could I do for ya?" he said looking Seth up and down skeptically. "I'm kind of looking for something." he said looking him in the eye. "Yeah. Looking for what?" Manny asked him quizzically.

"Well, I'm looking for someone actually. A waitress - she was here last night." Manny frowned. "Look man, I got a lot of waitress that come through here. Your going to have to get a little more specific." he said getting agitated. Seth noticed and decided to get straight to the point. "I'm looking for Anna Stern."


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, so I know its been **FOREVER**! And those of you who are even following the story have probably forgot about it. Buuut, I however didn't. I've been having computer problems =/ And to make a long story short almost lost everything! But I'm up and running obviously, and tried to make this chapter well worth the wait. So hopefully it will be. So, here it is. Hope you like. Please Review! Tell me what you think, honestly I can take it ;] I'm open to any suggestions/future plot ideas.

**OH YEAH**, shouts out to:** Taylorforever**, **kydchino**, **CohenNAtwood**, **tines**, and **Anadi **for reviewing in the last 3 chapters, I didn't say it before so I'm saying it now. Thanks, they made me smile :)

PS. I do NOT own the oc or any of its characters.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 4 **

"_Taylor. Taylor Townsend." _ a voice whispered far away in a distance. Taylor was lost away in a dreamland. Fast asleep without a care in the world. "_Taylor_." There was that voice again. She couldn't tell where it was coming from but the more it called the closer it felt. "_Taylor, Taylor… Taylor." _

Taylor's body shot up at the sound. "Owwww!" she heard as her head collided with something hard. Which happened to be Ryan's face. Taylor opened her eyes. She saw Ryan on the opposite side of her nursing his forehead. "Oh my God, Ryan. Are you okay??" She asked worried. Ryan tried to force a smile.

" I always said you were hard headed, now I really know." he said half laughing. Taylor started to rub his forehead. "Are you sure you're okay? Do you need to ice it? Or take an Advil? Yeah, Advil would be better, let me just get you a glass of water -" Ryan sat her down as soon as she tried to get up. "I don't need ice or Advil. I'm fine, I promise." he said taking her into his arms. He kissed her on the forehead and hugged her.

They sat silent like that for a minute, until finally Ryan broke the silence. "And, I'm sorry about last night. Missing dinner, and not calling." he said stroking her hair. Taylor looked up at him. "Oh yeah, that. I remember now, I'm mad at you." she said narrowing her eyes. Ryan turned away with a pained look. "I know and you have every right to be, I should of called, I should of found a way out of after work drinks. Never a good idea when half of the contracts department can't hold their liquor." he replied, the evening before playing in his head.

"I know, Seth told me when I got in last night." Ryan turned to face her. "He did?" "Yes, and I understand, what with it being your first day and all. You want to make a good impression. Besides, I know if you could be there, you would have been. Its ok Ryan, really. Plus, dinner turned out to be pretty entertaining. Seth got hit on by a slutty vegetarian - Summer's words not mine." she said rolling her eyes playfully.

Ryan still had that pained look on his face. "Ryan…" she whispered trying to get his attention. She shifted her weight so that she was sitting on top of his lap. Ryan looked up at her. "I love you, you know that right?" she questioned him. "Yeah." he responded unconvincingly. "So you should know that it would take _much more _than just a missed dinner to change that." she whispered lowering her eyes at him.

Ryan smiled at her, relieved. "Yeah?" he asked knowing the answer. Taylor nodded. "Mhhmm. Besides you can make it up to me another time." she said grinning. Ryan chuckled. "Oh really? How 'bout this weekend?" he replied, voice lowering. "This weekend, Julie and the Cohen's are coming down to visit remember?" Taylor said tugging at his white wife beater. Ryan closed his eyes in frustration. "Oh, that's right." he said sighing.

"I'm guessing your not excited?" she said slightly giggling. "No, I just wish I could get you all to myself for more than just two seconds." he said hugging her tighter. Taylor smiled. "Well, we're alone right now…" her voice trailed off. Ryan smiled back. "That we are…" he said kissing her earnestly. _Beep! Beep! Beep! _ Ryan groaned in frustration.

Taylor glanced back at him sympathetically. Ryan slammed down the _snooze _button on his alarm clock. **7 AM**. "Guess its time for you to get ready for work." Taylor said getting off of him. "Ah, work. My _favorite _part of the day." Ryan said sarcastically as he made his way to the shower.

---------------------------------------------------------

_Beep! Beep! Beep!… Thwat! _

Was the sound that came as Summer slammed down hard on her alarm clock. **7:30 AM**, and Seth _still _wasn't back yet. Summer sighed. She got up and swung her robe around her shoulders and made her way into the kitchen. Oddly enough, nobody seemed to be awake so she turned on the pot of coffee next to the microwave.

She was gathering everything she needed, the sugar, the cream, when she heard footsteps coming toward her direction. She looked up and saw Seth looking exhausted, holding up his wallet, giving a forceful smile. "You found it?" Summer asked giving a forceful smile herself. "Got it, it was a little harder to retrieve than I thought." he said rubbing his eyes.

Summer flipped the ON switch on the side of the coffee maker. "Why's that?" she asked turning towards him. "Manny, the manager. He is _not _my friend." Summer gave him a faux sympathetic look. "Aw, Cohen, well atleast your used to not having very many friends." she said giving him a teasing grin.

Seth was about to open his mouth, but thought for a minute. "No, I'm not even going to mock laugh. I'm too exhausted. Wake me up in two hours." he said walking off towards his room. Before Summer could respond, the door shut. She stared after his now vacant figure. "Sweet dreams?" she muttered dumbfounded as she turned on her heel and grabbed a cup from the cupboard.

********

**8:30 AM**.

Seth glanced over to the clock that sat on his bedside table. It had only been an hour since he arrived home from the bar and he had hardly been able to dose off nevermind sleep. He was too preoccupied with the events that had played out earlier that morning..

"_I'm looking for Anna Stern." Seth said breathlessly. Manny looked him in the eye. "Why you looking for that broad?" he asked taking the towel off his shoulder wiping his hands, then switching it back to the opposite shoulder. Seth raised an eyebrow. "She's an old friend of mine, I thought I saw her tonight, waitressing behind the bar." Manny started piling beer bottles into a wooden crate._

"_Yeah, I don't remember if she was on the schedule last night, but if you say you saw her by the bar I'm pretty sure your not wrong. That girl sure loves the booze." Seth was taken aback. "That doesn't really sound like the Anna I know." he said watching him load up the crate._

"_Well, I guess she's more of a wino, the real booze tends to be a trigger for her so tries to stay away from that stuff." he said inspecting one of the bottles. Seth was confused. "A trigger? For what exactly?" he asked curious. Manny put the bottle down and studied his expression. "You know for all the - " "Hey! Manny why don't you let me take care of that for you, yeah?" a familiar voice interrupted before he could finish. Seth studied the figure, as he did last night. She took the bottles from his hands and set them inside the crate along with all the others. _

_Seth cleared his throat. "It's Brett right?" he asked puzzled by her actions. The petite brunette flashed him a soft smile. "Yeah." Manny leaned in next to her so that he was facing Seth. "You know kid, you ask a lot of questions." he said, eyeing him suspiciously. Seth tried not to appear as annoyed as he felt. "I'm very inquisitive." he said in a sarcastic tone. "Well maybe I don't like your inquistative.. inquititive -" "Inquisitive." Brett finished for him. "Yeah, intuitive nature." he said confidently. _

_Seth rolled his eyes. Brett fought back a chuckle as she watched his face. "Hey Manny, don't worry about it, I'll take care of this one." she said putting on a tough face. Manny nodded and glared Seth's way. "Your in trouble now." he said finally walking away. Seth silently mimicked his words as his back turned then looked over at Brett. "So you're going to take care of me huh? Would this involve knives of some sort?" Seth asked turning towards her. The girl laughed amused with his sense of humor. "No, I'm not violent I promise." she said shaking her head. _

"_Okay, well can we atleast get some kind of knives to carve off Manny's caveman beard because if it stares back at me for another minute its going to cause me to gastronomically implode." Brett giggled in response. "I'm really serious." he said trying to hold back a smile. Brett's laugh faded as she looked back and forth between the bar, Seth was not sure what she was looking out for. "Hey, come with me." she said motioning him over to a table from around the bar. _

_She took the crate and sat it down on one of the stools and sat down on the one next to it, Seth taking a seat on the opposing side. "You're looking for Anna right?" she almost whispered looking into Seth's eyes. "Yeah, she works here. Do you know where she is?" he said, his serious face on. Brett shook her head. "Yeah, I'm not sure where she is… she kind of keeps to herself." she said quietly. "Do you know when she'll be working next?" Seth asked hoping for a lead. Brett thought for a moment. "I might.." she said her voice lingering._

"_Is… is she okay?" Seth asked sincerely. Brett wasn't sure how to answer. "Uhhh.." she trailed off. Seth's face changed into a worried expression. "What happened? Is she okay, is she in trouble, is she-" "She's been through a lot over the last couple of years, but she's strong Seth. I promise you." she responded, placing her hand on top of his. Seth looked at her, a little surprised, one because of the hand-to-hand contact, and the fact that she called him by name. "You remembered my name?" he asked the surprise apparent in his tone._

"_Yeah, well I'm good with names and faces. Especially with ones that have a soft spot for vegetarians." she said giving him a warm smile. Seth looked down and grinned, feeling oddly embarrassed. Realizing their hands still in contact, they awkwardly detached from one another. Seth reverted himself back into the conversation. "But she has been in trouble?" he asked cautiously. "How long have you known Anna exactly?" she asked wondering. "I've known her since high school. We hadn't kept in touch too much because she moved back to Pittsburgh. But the last time I saw her I think I was like, seventeen." he said trying to remember._

"_Right… Pittsburgh." she said nodding her head slowly. Seth looked at her curiously. There was something about the way she said "Pittsburgh" as if it meant more than merely a place. "Well, I'll help you out because you seem like a good guy. I'm pretty sure she'll be working a mid-day shift today. She should be coming in around twelve." she said picking up the crate beside her. Seth nodded. "Thanks, I really appreciate it. Really." Brett smiled. "Anytime." she said giving him a nod back. _

_Seth checked his phone. _**7:15 AM**. _Shit. Sumer was going to be up soon. "I'm gonna head out, but thanks." he said passing the bar on his way to the door. Brett laughed. "You said that already, but you're welcome. Don't be a stranger. Hey next time you and your friends come in, drinks on the house." she said smiling. Seth smiled back. "I might have to take you up on that." he said giving her a final wave, as he headed out the door. _

**9:28 AM**.

Seth sighed as his eyes retreated back to his bedside. "Twelve 'o clock couldn't take any longer to get here if it tried." he muttered to himself as he threw the covers over his head.

*************

_Thud_. Ryan cringed. He shut the door to the refrigerator a little more loudly than he intended. He was in the kitchen at his job, balancing a trey filled with fruit, oatmeal, and a side of orange juice. He grabbed a napkin, then tiptoed his way from the kitchen down the hallway to his office. On his way he nodded to Diana, the short blonde receptionist as she walked by, carrying on a conversation through her blue tooth. Three doors, down and two "Hey, Ryan's" later he reached his office.

Once inside, he set the trey on his desk, shut the door, and took his seat taking a sip of his orange juice. This had been the way he had eaten his breakfast for the last two days. He never had the time for a Taylor cooked meal at home, which he missed. She hadn't cooked him breakfast since she first moved into the Berkley house. He had been so busy with his job then, just trying to get his career off the ground and get started that he was hardly ever home. He wasn't even sure how his relationship survived it.

When they moved to Huntington, he told her it would be different, that he was in a better position now, he'd have the time. But so far, nothing has happened to that effect. He groaned at the thought of how things _should've _been. He just needed to spend some alone time with her, to make up for _all _of it. She deserved so much more from him at this point, and he needed to prove to her that he _deserved _her. It was already hard enough to convince himself. The way things were going he was hoping it wasn't too late.

He could tell it had been taking a toll on her, and there was only so much more she could take… and Taylor Townsend had a short fuse. When she had enough, she had _enough_. Ryan turned on the monitor to his computer. He riffled through his e-mail. A few e-mails from his co-workers filling him in on some of the meetings he had coming up, some spam, a quirky one involving a Kid Chino centric comic sent from Seth, and one that he wasn't sure where it came from, as the sender's address was blocked.

He clicked on the icon which the subject read _You must open now! _ In opening it, he scanned the top to find a JPEG image of a huge bottle of pills. Ryan scratched his head. _Oh great, another spam that didn't' get blocked. _He clicked the cursor of his mouse to move further down the screen. _"Having trouble satisfying your partner? Well then we have the solution for you! Taking Penal-Aid will help you in having the best sex of your life!" _ Ryan rolled his eyes. Sex. That seemed like such a foreign concept.

Ryan deleted the e-mail and switched his attention back to his breakfast. After getting through half of his oatmeal, there was a knock on his door. "Come in." he responded pushing his tray away. Ryan looked up to see his boss Richard come in and take a seat in front of his desk. "Atwood, how you doing this morning?" the tall dark brunette haired man asked him shaking his hand from across the desk. He had on a fine tailored suit, something you'd see on one of the Marc Jacobs (or the James Bond's) of the world. He was in his mid 30's and his body structure seemed to be kept up to a decent build, as a result of his muscles showing slightly through his suit jacket.

He had blue eyes that were so sharp in color it almost made you wonder whether or not if they were painted on his eyeballs. Ryan turned his attention to him. "I'm doing pretty good, just trying to get up to speed with things." The brunette nodded back in agreeance. "Trust me, I know exactly how it is. But don't worry you'll get the hang of things around here. You've only been here a couple days so we're easing you in slowly. As soon as you catch up, we're going to put you to work." Ryan playfully raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, no I'm guessing that's when the real craziness begins." giving him a mocking look of fear (with a slight hint of actual fear) in his eyes. The older man just laughed. "Don't worry Ryan, honestly you're here because you're the most qualified for your position. Not a lot of people in the company have the background you do when it comes to construction, and we wanted someone who was more hands on to get a handle on this years projects. No pun intended." he said laughing at his own lackluster humor.

Ryan's eyes widened. "Well, I'm flattered I guess. I've never been a manager before." he said, intimidated just saying the word. "My advise is to just dive in headfirst and go with your gut. Plus, when you tell the ladies your 'Corporate Manager of Up and Coming Projects' its makes them go all gooey. You can practically see the dollar signs light up in their eyes. You'll be getting so much ass you won't know what to do with it." he said giving a hearty laugh. Ryan grinned. "Well, I'm not too sure if my girlfriend would be too happy about that. But maybe I'll use that line on her when it run into trouble." he said chuckling.

"Oh no, Ryan's a taken man? Say it aint so! Oh well that's too bad, guess after work drinks with the guys are out of the question then?" he asked standing up. "Well maybe every now and then." Ryan said, now too standing up. "Oh well as long as the wife says its okay." he rousted him, shaking his hand again. "Well, Ryan, it's been a pleasure, but you've got to get your ass back to work, and I…got to go be in charge of things." he said arrogantly. "Alright, don't' work too hard." Ryan said jokingly as he left through the door. Ryan grabbed a few manila envelopes off his desk and starting going through the documents inside. "Alright, time for another day at the office," he said sitting back down and getting to work.

-------------------------------------------

**10:18 AM**

Taylor flipped the channel once more. There were two hundred and fifty stations that their cable company provided, but she had yet to find anything remotely entertaining. "I guess it's shopping network time again Taylor?" she asked to no one really, not even herself. She was feeling a little pathetic that this what her days have been reduced to since Ryan had been gone. She didn't start her new job until Monday and it was taking everything in her power to try not to kill herself before the weekend came.

She was about to sift her way through Seth's latest issue of Atomic County when she heard a knock on her door. She made her way across the room, opening it to find Summer with a basket full of fruit and muffins. "Summer." Taylor said surprised. Summer forced a smile. "Anyone want breakfast?" she asked stepping inside.

***

"Blueberry, me." Summer said brushing her hair out of her face and flipping through a copy of _Elle _magazine. Summer and Taylor were stretched out on Taylor's bed lounging with magazines, coffee, ( Seth's comics) and the basket of fruit and muffins Summer brought upon her arrival. The Shopping Network displayed across the television screen, on mute, while a stereo played music softly in the background.

Summer was trying her best to focus on everything but the situation at hand. Seth was acting distant, something so odd for someone so clingy. Especially for a guy who's basically been in love with the same person for the better part of his young life. It made Summer nervous, for the first time in a long time.

Taylor could tell that something was up, the brunette haired girl in front of her couldn't seem to get this agitated look off of her face. "Summer, are you okay?" Taylor asked biting into an apple. "Fine." she replied back, void of any emotion. Taylor frowned. "Well, I'm not." she said sighing, tossing her head back onto a pillow. If Summer wasn't going to spill, she might as well air out her dirty laundry. Summer put down her magazine, she couldn't pretend she was remotely interested in it any longer and Taylor seemed like she genuinely needed a friend to talk to.

"What's going on Taylor?" Summer asked sounding concerned. Taylor sighed, and propped her head up so she can look her friend in the eyes. "Its just with Ryan's new job I feel like instead of being happy for him like I should, I just find myself feeling..lonely." she said looking away. "I mean, I knew it was somewhat going to be like this, but not _all over again_. I thought things were going to be different than they were in Berkeley. I mean, you remember what it was like. Me and Ryan were barely hanging on by a thread. We both knew it was becoming an issue. The move to Huntington was supposed to solve that." Taylor went on woefully.

Summer could tell, that this had really been eating away at her. Long before any talk of moving had happened. Summer thought carefully as she picked her next words. "Maybe moving wasn't supposed to be a solution for something. Maybe it really wasn't going to solve anything." She said placing her arm tenderly on Taylor's shoulder. The words stung. But Taylor was starting to think that maybe, _just maybe_, it could be true.

"I love Ryan. More than anything on this earth. But at the same time, its _exhausting_. _Six years has become exhausting_." Summer looked up at Taylor. It looked as if tears were starting to form in her eyes, but at the same time there was so much truth in her face. As if, she always knew. "Taylor, you're my best friend and though I love Ryan like a brother, you need to do what's best for you. You have dreams just like he does, the only difference is he's going after them while your only dreaming them. Don't you feel like its your turn?" she asked her honestly.

Taylor gave a small smile. "The things is, even though I have this plan, I'm not really sure what I'm doing. Ryan is _so _sure of himself and what he wants and how he's going to get there. I'm not. For once Taylor Townsend doesn't know what the plan is. I'm merely doing what I think is best." "Well maybe its time for Taylor Townsend to figure out what that is." Summer stated gently.

Taylor gave a little laugh. "Yeah, well not today. Today I am going to eat muffins." She said grabbing banana nut muffin and taking a huge bite out of it for emphasis. "Besides," she continued. "If you and Seth can both achieve your dreams and still be together and happy then me and Ryan can find a way." Taylor said cheerfully. But her cheerfulness flat lined when she was Summer's face. "Right?" she asked somewhat confused. Summer just took another bite out of her blueberry muffin.

"Summer, you are happy, _right_?" Taylor asked coming off slightly more dramatic then she wanted to. Summer gave a restless sigh. "Whether or not _I'm _happy isn't the problem." She replied back, picking at her muffin. Taylor glanced at her surprised. "Then what exactly _is _the problem?" she asked, curious. Summer shrugged. "That's exactly what I'd like to know."

****************

**12:15 PM**.

Seth walked through the doors of the bar for what felt like the millionth time that day. It was finally noon, and he was anxious the four hours prior, not sure as what would take place when 12 o'clock finally rolled its way around. He scanned the room. It was much different during the daytime. It felt less alive, and for some reason it seemed _darker_.

There were a few guys at the bar, watching an athletic even of some sort, some men that looked to be in their late 60's huddled around select tables playing card games, while waitresses cleaned off the remaining empty tables. He spied Manny from the corner of his eye and decided it was better to stay off his radar so he made his way to the side of the bar where he figured he'd be otherwise too distracted to notice him.

He couldn't find Brett anywhere, so he figured her shift had been long over. He did however see a blonde waitress with long hair wrapped up into a ponytail. "Excuse me, miss?" he asked trying to get her attention. The blonde made her way over to him. "What can I do for you?" she asked un-enthused. "I'm looking for Anna, is she here?" The blonde looked at him disinterested.

"She was here, but she said she was gonna take off a little while ago cos she felt sick. But you may not have missed her. She might still be in the back." She said pointing towards where the bathrooms were located and there was a changing room labeled _Employees Only_. Seth glanced back to where she was pointing.

"Thanks." He said getting up and making his way over. He walked over to the half open _Employees Only _door, and stood with his hands in his pockets. He's here, he might as well wait and see right?

********

The black liquid dripped its way down along the roundness of her cheeks. She batted it away with the palm of her hand. _Smudge_. "Great." She said to herself as she traced under her eyes with her index finger. She looked at her reflection in the mirror with disgust. Her hardly tamed hair hung long, past her chin, but not too much past her shoulders. Her makeup was ruined, her cheeks were covered with a mix of eyeliner, mascara and blush, combined making it appear as two big bruises on the sides of her face.

Her eyes looked worn and tired like she hadn't slept in _weeks_ and her lips were chapped and red, as if they had suffered severe cold winds. She didn't like what she saw. She no longer was the short optimistic, bubbly girl with the cute little pixie cut that provided the wisdom and the slight cynicisms that came with her charming moxy. No, Anna Stern had become the complete opposite of her former self.

She stopped rubbing her eyes, as it was only causing them to water even more than before. Today was just not a good day. She had come in, already tired from the lack of sleep of the night before. A lot, was going through her mind. She, for some reason she couldn't fathom, imagined that she saw _Seth Cohen_. It had been a couple of years since she had seen her old friend. It was almost like, seeing a _ghost_. Not only was it Seth, but Summer Roberts had apparently been along with him. She couldn't tell if it was real or not. It just seemed so _surreal_. It could've easily been just another one of her hallucinations. Yeah. That was it. Though the thought of it being an illusion didn't make her feel any better.

In fact, it made her feel pretty sad. Among other things. A tear made its way down her cheek. This time, not because of irritation. She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. "I'm not doing this, I'm not throwing myself a pity party." She whispered to herself. She looked down at the sink. "Just this one time." she said out loud. But as she prepared the line, and lowered the white powdery substance to her nose, she knew it wouldn't be.

*******

Seth swayed his hands from side to side. It had been about fifteen minutes and Anna hadn't appeared. He was starting to think that she was impossible to track down. Just as he was about to hang it up and call it a day, he heard what sounded like soft cries coming from the women's restroom. He walked past the _Employee's Only _sign and put his ear to the door. The cries became even clearer, and he didn't think anything of it at first, but maybe…

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open only slightly. Inside he saw a girl with dirty blonde hair, her head down in the sink crying her eyes out. His heart stopped for a second. In her hand seemed to be something that looked a great deal like a line of coke. Only she wasn't snorting it, she was incessantly trying to empty it down the drain. She sobbed, and looked up at her reflection. For a mere second _their eyes met_.

Anna focused her gaze intensely at the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy, not to mention blurry from the crying, regardless she was sure she saw the curly haired brunette boy from her past. She closed her eyes and rubbed them, opening them to find no one there.

Seth lept out the door as fast as his body was physically capable. He couldn't form thoughts on what he just saw, but his instincts were telling him _to get the hell out of there_. Feeling slightly spooked, Anna made her way out of the bar through the back exit, wanting to leave unseen. Except, she was seen.

As she made her way through the parking lot, Seth watched her as she skirted hurriedly to her car. As soon as her saw her pull out, he stepped on the gas. He followed her, not really knowing, why but a lot of what was happening he wasn't sure why, but it was happening. The drive was only twenty minutes, but she had taken him to the outskirts of Huntington, a part of which he had never really seen. Besides passing a few lots of trailor parks, it seemed as if they were heading near a forest of some sort, or at least somewhere that resembled one, as he passed through miles and miles of trees.

She pulled off onto an area of dirt and drove on through, from there Seth parked and got out to follow her on foot. Eventually he stumbled upon what looked like a run down shack surrounded by an embodiment of water. _A lake house_, he figured in his mind. Anna parked the car and got out. Instead of heading towards the shack, she went into the opposite direction and went to an end of a dock where there was a bucket and some rope.

While occupied at the end of the dock, Seth managed to sneak to the side of the lake house without her noticing. He went through what appeared to be a back entrance and walked halfway inside. There was a cot with a white mattress on top, next to an old cabin used as a make-shift closet and across the way was an AM/FM radio.

On the opposite side of the cot, was a dresser for which Anna seemed to use as a pantry for dry goods. Along the top of it were pictures. Of loved ones he supposed. And lastly on the right there was a window, a window in which he could clearly see a sad faced Anna, at the end of the dock. A face that was unfamiliar to him, and one he couldn't understand. A face that didn't _deserve this_.


End file.
